


Prying Eyes

by Minion_Energon_101



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: #ForCayde, Alcohol, Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Angst, For Cayde, Mission Fic, Missions Gone Wrong, Other, Post-Mission, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trapped, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-11 05:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15965465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Minion_Energon_101/pseuds/Minion_Energon_101
Summary: “Nothing creepier than Vex eyes peering at you from the dark.” — Cayde-6A murderous sandtrap. A large sinkhole on Mars holds one of many few nightmares for Cayde-6 to dream about.





	Prying Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short story for Cayde I decided I wanted to make one day. Hope you enjoy!

“So, we’re talking about a Vex stash right?” Cayde-6 asked into the comm unit as he looked out from the buildings shattered windows across the sea of red sand all around.

“No, not,” there was a long, glitchy pause before a female voice cut back in, “it’s more of a ambush sight, used to entice Guardians inside.”

“So… a booby-trap?” Cayde corrects his earlier statements as he pulls out a pair of binoculars.

“I don’t see Colonel anywhere to trap, sir, so I think they just mean you.” A male voice came from another comm unit far away and made Cayde crack an inward smile.

“How good it is to know your humor never diminishes, my friends. Truthfully.” Cayde replies dryly, but the audible chuckles in his head tells him he hit his mark.

Speaking of friends, Ikora should be popping into orbit anytime soon with those extra Guardians for this mission, even though Cayde was sure two Hunters and a Titan can do this job just fine. A small pit, made in the parts of Mars least traveled upon terrain, was something Cayde could easily handle. Said hole was emitting a small amount of power to barely catch nearby Guardians radars and lure them away from civilization. Only about three of the twelve missing Guardians that were reported had returned; and that wasn’t saying much as one had died on the way to a hospital after he stated his Ghost had been crushed. So, truthfully, only two Guardians made it out to fully report what they saw down there: dots, glowing dots and metal that could tear flesh apart in only a few seconds.

Vex, it was the Vex. Nobody could doubt that after the two remaining Guardians had been sent to intensive care that someone needed to deal with this, and deal with it fast. Sending out a Hunter spy to find out what's the deal and they reported the Vex were either using a sinkhole or digging a cave for themselves to basically lure in their _natural predator_.

“I think it best you and your bodyguard get in there and scout out the area before Ikora gets here, I’ll shoot any stragglers coming out to peak around after you.” The male voice said and Cayde spotted a small dart of movement across the sandy dunes of Mars just underneath a makeshift tent of steel.

“Best if we do.” Cayde said and hopped from the building onto the ground. Sand being pushed into the air because of his heavy weight and thick boots, pushing his cloak all around him until he’s steadily walking forward. He changes to his hud vision for a second to see two grey-blue triangles on field; one walking out from another nearby building and another stationary across the way. “Don’t want Ikora to have any reason to doubt our skills.”

“She’s the only one you’d ever have anything to prove to, Cayde.” Piped up the male Hunter. He wasn’t wrong but Cayde wasn’t about to let him get away with it for being so smug.

“Says the guy who’s using _Widow’s Bite_ when I gave you a perfectly good _Maxim XI_ , Guardian.” Cayde said sarcastically and caused the comms to flare to life with laughter and cursing. Yes, he was on a mission with a bit of an unorthodox sniper covering his tail, but he had faith in more than the kids trigger finger.

Cayde toned them out as he neared the sinkhole first, waiting the female Titan that was trying her best not to sink into the sand anymore then she already is. The cavern, from what Cayde could tell, was not a forced entry. The ground that could be seen under the sand and leading into the forever darkness below was naturally corroded and seemed to be at perfect rest until they had stepped foot into its soil. But Cayde knew better then to trust Mars with keeping evidence visible. Twelve Guardians had been down here not too long ago, and three had stumbled out as well after that; meaning that its almost restful appearance was a facade created by nature.

“—and whom am I speaking too? Mrs. _Tech Support_?” Cayde heard as he looked back at the female Titan. She was standing behind him, but her footing was off as her left side was sinking into sand deeper than the other.

“I’m just saying,” she said, ignoring Cayde for a second, “that I get why you use it, and I understand your comfortable with it, but your Power is lower then needed for a lot of missions…”

“If I can assist my team with this rifle, that’s all I can ask for.  That’s all I can do, Power be damned.” The Hunter replied and Cayde decided that was the end of that for now.

Cayde made a shushing hand gesture to the Titan and turned the comms off after stating, “We’re going in. Comm channels for emergencies only.”

And that was the end of that as Cayde and the Titan slowly made their way down the steep decline into the cave below, using the Mars sand as a traction to not tumble down the slope. The Titan beside him seemed off balance compared to the usually grace he saw in his Hunters or the not-affected-by-sand-whatsoever levitating Warlock, bringing him knowledge on what conditions he’ll be working under with his teammate underground.

“No splitting up, we’re not taking any chances with Ghost hunting Vex today.” Cayde said at the lip of the cave, pulling his _Ace of Spades_ from its holster. “No taking chances.”

The Titan shoulders bounced almost jovially. “You? Staying next to me? What a cold day on Mars, it is.”

While the humor was never appreciated, Cayde was certain this sinkhole wasn’t too deep. Meaning, he was certain they were both being watched or tracked at this very moment by something… anything Vex, really. He could pull his Ghost out and scan the space but that would most likely prompt a sniper shot right into Sundancer and then one right through his head, and he wasn’t risking it today in such a unstable environment.

When he didn’t respond, his Titan companion pulled out their _Sunshot_ hand cannon to follow along behind him somewhat steadily. The crunching of both of their feet lead Cayde to believe stealth wasn’t going to be much of an option once they get into the heart of the Vex operation down here. As an Exo, the strong sifting noises under their feet were glaringly loud, so the odds of a Vex hearing them were too great to ignore.

Slowly, and surely, as they got deeper into the precipice, the light from outside became almost too dark to see in and Cayde would lie to you and say he could see his own gun in his hands. Cayde knew if he tried to see his own feet, he wouldn’t be able to in this place. Their one source of light — not their Ghosts, because Cayde still wasn’t risking it — would have to be a secondary form of light or…

There was a faint snapping noise behind Cayde before a small area of the cave was alight with a soft white glow. Before Cayde had time to process " _Does the Guardian have a glow stick?_ " or something along those lines, the soft light drew his eyes to the walls and ceiling of the underground cave. 

The light barely lets him see the writhing, metallic masses on the ceiling that seem to stick into the walls like some kind of veins. The wires all lead to a large metal eye-like structure that seemed to be closed, but the tiniest crack of red light could be seen within the dome. He didn't want to know what was in that thing if all these pumping wires were there to feed into it.

Cayde took a step back when the unbelievable happened. Taking almost an hour to turn to the light source below them, numerous Vex cyclops look down on Cayde-6 in the heart of their home. They all seem sluggish, like they had been napping amongst the wires, but they all fired up their weapons as they slowly stood tall from the ceiling. 

Turning on the Guardian, Cayde wanted to yell out their next move, a plan of action, or a retreat signal based on how much he saw behind him. The Vex seemed to all awaken in a domino effect, a wave of soft red light hanging from the ceiling...

But there was no Guardian behind him.

A small, agile Vex with a sword stood where his Guardian party should have been, an orb of white light right behind them as they let out clicks and churs in movement closer to Cayde.

Cayde only had one option from here. He raised the  _Ace of Spades_ to the Vex's head and...

* * *

Suddenly, his whole body lurched forward — more like  _upward_  — in his seat as he seemingly pushes himself off the desk he'd been napping on. Exo's didn't need sleep, but a program who-knows how old allowed them to power down without completely shutting all their vital functions off, and the Light almost made his power downs restless with showing him memories that made him a man as much as...

"Still crashing here in hopes that Zavala won't find ya?" He heard in the doorway and turned there slowly to see Amanda.

The blonde had grease in all the most random spots, and Cayde's fried mind has no little time to reboot before she's walking in the room. Her door closed behind her when she gets a safe distance from it and she grabs a towel from a small metal coatrack off to the side of her office. Her workbench, which Cayde had napped on, had his cloak draped on it to keep Cayde's metal head from tearing up her tapes down blueprint. It's probably what she's here for anyway...

"Sorry. Sorry..." He said guickly, and as groggily as he could with a synthesized voice box. "I just... needed some time off from explaining myself for the mission."

The whole time he talked, she walked about the room and pulled many thongs from the wall and under her desk. And right as soon as he stopped talking, she chuckled. She reached under the chair Cayde was sitting in to pull out a large bottle of an unmarked liquor smugly. "'Some time off' you say?" She turned the bottle around and whistled. "High grade stuff, it probably knocked ya right out after hitting your tenth swig..."

She continued to admire how big, strong Cayde had barely gotten a solo cup amount into the bottle as he put his cloak back around his neck. As he fastened the front to sit around him presentably, she put the glass back on the table next to him while lying a hand on his cold shoulder.

"Look, I know you tried this time, to be a role model and all..." She trailed off. She seemed to be at a lose for words. "I can understand the pressure. If I can't get parts in for all these clients; Guardians go without ships, transportation slows to a crawl, and important deadlines aren't meet. The whole Tower would stop functioning without ships running. I can understand pressure."

Cayde let her have her heart-felt speech. She wasn't the type to pour her heart out regularly, and Cayde wasn't the healthiest Exo alive right now, so what harm could be done sitting still for a friend? Especially since they cared enough to hide you away.

"And I can understand why Ikora dropped by to tell you to take it easy." Amanda ended smugly as Cayde's eyes rounded out in surprise.

"Ikora knows I'm here?" Cayde shakes his head a bit in realization. "Wait, of course she does..."

"She just wanted me to tell you she'll deal with Zavala about the whole, uh... disappearance." She seemed to stagger at the last part, almost as if she had another word in mind.

"You mean, breakdown." Cayde chuckles at his own honesty and smiles up at Amanda.

"Yeah." The smiles back, twisting a rag in her hand suddenly before snapping it on Cayde's shoulder. " _That_ trainwreck."

"You wound me, Holliday." Cayde laughs as he stands up to leave. "You honestly wound my pride."

"Didn't think there was much left, pony boy!" She says as she leans against her bookshelf not far from her workbench. "See ya around, gunslinger."

"I'll pass by later, grease monkey." 

And he was gone. Gone to face Zavala and Ikora for another day to droll away in this Tower.


End file.
